Be warned, men… according to doctors, you're more likely to break your penis at Christmas
- Medics analyzed hospital records of more than 3,000 men who suffered the injury
- The daily incidence of fractures over Christmas increased from 0.54 to 0.78
Men are more likely to break their penises at Christmas, doctors say.
German doctors discovered the figures for the eye-popping injury peak during the holidays.
Although the penis is not a bone, it can break if the appendage is exposed to sharp, blunt force. Afterwards, the penis usually resembles an 'eggplant' and becomes purple and swollen.
Such injuries usually occur during vigorous sex, with positions such as 'doggy' and 'cowgirl' posing the greatest risk.
German doctors have discovered that the risk of penile fractures increases during Christmas. Men aged 42 were most affected by the painful injury, which occurs when the blood-filled columns break, causing them to harden during an erection. When a penis breaks, it usually happens during 'over-enthusiastic' sex, where it snaps under the weight of the partner's body or from a forceful thrust.
Experts from Munich University Hospital analyzed data from more than 3,000 men who suffered the injury in Germany between 2005 and 2021.
Over the Christmas period – defined as December 24, 25 and 26 – forty penile fractures were recorded during the study.
This represented a daily incidence of 0.78, or seven per ten days.
For comparison: the rest of the year it was around 0.54.
No other seasonal peaks, including on New Year's Eve, were observed during the study, published in the British Journal of Urology International.
“If every day was like Christmas, there would have been 43 percent more fractures in Germany since 2005,” the doctors wrote.
'Our findings place demands on couples to reduce 'wild sex' during moments of relaxation to reduce the risk of penile fractures.'
In a play on Wham's festive song, the team jokingly added: 'Last Christmas, penile fractures became more common.
“This year, to save us the tears, we are not going to do anything special (the new Christmas hit of the year).”
However, the team acknowledged several shortcomings in the study, including that the days recorded in the study reflected hospital admission, and not necessarily the date of injury.
Penile fracture occurs immediately and requires urgent medical treatment. In many cases, a gritty, snapping sound can be heard.
In order for a man to have an erection, two spongy tubes, the corpora cavernosa, fill with blood and harden. These are surrounded by a fibrous lining known as tunica albuginea.
A fracture occurs when these areas tear.